


A Perfect Life

by fandomgeek14



Category: Desire & Decorum (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-10-22 21:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17670704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomgeek14/pseuds/fandomgeek14
Summary: a series of stories revolving around my MC, Beatrice Morse and her life before and after coming to Edgewater Estate. (some might come from my Tumblr blog as well)





	1. Unknowing Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hi,  
> just thought I'd lay out a few things before this story. Basically my MC Beatrice has an illness called Haemophilia which essentially makes her more susceptible to bleeding a even from the smallest bump which is why it is such a big deal that she doesn't run, fall and hurt herself in this story and in further stories it will be brought up but briefly.

_2nd November 1802 Grovershire, England_ :

A brown haired green eyed seven year old walked through the path of the small village following her best friend back home from the farmers market.

“come on! Beatrice! Hurry, we’ll be late home”

“I’m trying but mama told me to be careful- if I run then I might fall”

“oh right” the girl’s friend, Briar said, slowing to match the pace of her friend.

as they walked past the houses Beatrice looked up and across the way, there was a father and his daughter holding hands and smiling at each other Beatrice stopped in her tracks and stared.

“what’s the matter?” Briar asked her friend before noticing what she’s looking at

“oh” she said

“I wish I had my papa” Beatrice said

“as do most people without a papa but papa’s aren’t all good you know- they have flaws” Briar said

“I know- but at least they love you, I’ve never experienced what it is to be loved by a father before”

“I know Beatrice but I’m sure your papa would have loved you if he was around”

“I like to imagine my papa is a prince and my mama and papa couldn’t marry because of their parents but that never stopped them and one day he’ll come back and I’ll live as a princess in a massive castle” Beatrice said

“you have such a strange mind Beatrice- those fantasies of yours keep getting stranger and stranger the next thing you’ll say is that you picture marrying a man of a prince or the older step-son of the Earl of Edgewater or the future Master of Ledford Park” Briar chuckled

it bemused Beatrice how Briar knew so much about upper class life but she supposed her mother had told her stories of such people and besides everyone knew of the noble families in the area- so she’d heard of Ledford park and Edgewater Estate but she also knew she’d never marry the future Master of Ledford Park- someone at that level in society would never marry a ordinary girl like her.

“I can dream can I not?” Beatrice smiled a little at her friend

“knowing you, you’ll marry the minister’s boy- John”

“knowing my luck” Beatrice sighs

“oh cheer up Beatrice it’s your birthday” Briar says

“I’ll try but my birthday feels empty without my papa there”

“look out!”

Beatrice had just stepped out into the road when suddenly a very posh carriage almost ran her over, knocking her back onto the path with a thud- Briar hurried to help her friend checking if she was more severely hurt by the fall

“Beatrice are you hurt?”

Beatrice looked in shock as the carriage stopped and a man got out of the carriage quickly, he had brown hair and blue eyes and was in his early-to-mid-thirties, he hurried up to the girls

“are you two alright?” the man from a carriage asked

Briar glanced quickly at Beatrice who quickly shrunk back into her shell of shyness, but she nodded Briar was not totally convinced

“Beatrice you need to tell someone if your hurt- you could have more damage that you realise- that’s what my mother said” Briar said

Beatrice looked firmly at her friend calmly

“I’m not hurt”

The man looked impressed with the young girls certainty and offered Beatrice his hand, helping her up carefully and Beatrice noticed a kindness in his eyes- a kindness she had not been told about by Mr Harrington, the school master, who often mentioned how the upper class were stuck up people who cared for no one.

‘he’s not like the other upper class members he’s kind’ Beatrice thought

“Vincent we don’t have time to help two peasant girls, we left Edgewater in good time to get to London for a reason, we’ll be late for the Sinclaire’s party” a voice said from the carriage, a woman’s voice that sounded cruel,cold and forceful- it made Beatrice scared a little- it was unlike her mother’s voice- her mother’s voice was like the voice of an angel.

“thank you sir” Beatrice said quietly

“are you sure you are quite alright?”

Beatrice nodded at the man, he smiled at her kindly and there was a strange feeling in her like there was a connection but she couldn’t place it.

“well, if you are sure you are unharmed I must continue on with my journey to London before my wife gets anymore impatient” he said trying to cheer Beatrice up a little despite not knowing her at all and sure enough, a small smile made her way onto her face at the man

“thank you for your help” Briar said

He got back into the carriage and the carriage started to dive off the girls watched for a few moments before they walked back to Beatrice’s cottage to be greeted by her mother at the door who hugged her tightly

“Beatrice are you alright? Mrs Daly saw you fall”

“I’m alright mama just shaken”

“she also said a man helped you?”

“yes! he was in a carriage and he got out and helped up- He looked like an earl or a lord or something” Beatrice said to her mother

“I think he was the Earl of Edgewater- since that estate was mentioned” Briar added

Beatrice’s mother smiled with relief and kindness at her child but there was also something in her eyes, a look that her daughter could not decipher.

“he was very kind though, not like what some people say upper class men are like” Beatrice smiled

“maybe he was your papa” Briar teased

“stop teasing me about that Briar”

Beatrice’s mother shook her head fondly at her daughters fantasy she has that she knew a lot about from her daughter’s make believed tales.

“come on- lets go and eat your birthday supper”

Beatrice’s face lit up and the girls ran into the small dining area. Mary Morse smiled sadly behind them, her daughter had just unknowingly encountered her father and vice versa but Beatrice could not know it was him. not yet anyway.


	2. Father- Daughter bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beatrice and her father have some bonding time after she arrives at Edgewater.

Two hours after Beatrice arrived at Edgewater, the young woman was sat on the window seat staring down at the people below, she could make out her grandmother talking to Mr Sinclaire, a brown haired blue eyed man she had met properly when she had arrived mere hours ago. she did not know what gto make of Mr Sinclaire, although she did rather enjoy teasing him. her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door she looked around to see her father.  
“Beatrice, I just wondered how you were doing with the unpacking”  
“I’m managing quite well father thank you I've almost finished” Beatrice smiled at him “you may come in if you wish”  
Vincent stepped into her room and towards his daughter, standing next to her he looked out of the window.  
“I was wondering if you’d like to take a small walk in the gardens before dinner?”  
“of course father, I’d love nothing more, Except Lady grandmother convinced Mr Sinclaire to take me round earlier”  
“she did?”  
Beatrice nodded at her father, who smiled warmly at her reply as if it was a good thing.  
“what did you make of the gardens?”  
“it's quite a beautiful sight- I’d never seen so much well maintained greenery, Lady Grandmother and Mr Sinclaire's grandmother did a very good job of designing it”  
“and what do you make of Mr Sinclaire?”  
Beatrice looked at her father momentarily puzzled at his question before answering.  
“Mr Sinclaire is- well, a man with seemingly very good manners, although he does seen a bit rough around the edges, I'd almost say he was quite reserved but there's something more to him I can not seem to place”  
“I’ve known Mr Sinclaire since his birth, he’s a good business partner for Edgewater and quite good company especally in parliament season- I went to quite a few of the Sinclaire parties both before and after Mrs Sinclaire passed”  
“I’m sure he is a good partner, he certainly has the mannerisms to be one- I’m still not entirely certain of what to make of him though”  
“I’m sure you’ll know within time”  
Beatrice sighed sadly still looking out of the window now to see Mr Sinclaire had gone  
“whatever is the matter?”  
“I still miss mama, and all this change- I don’t quite know how to handle it”  
“I still miss your mama as well”  
“what happened between you two? If you do not mind me asking”  
“that’s a story for another time I believe”  
“of course papa I do not want to pester you about it”  
“I had no idea you lived in Grovershire”  
“I did not have the faintest idea that you were alive- mama told me you died”  
“that was for the best- to have her child know that she was illegitimate from a young age- nobody could wish that upon anyone”  
“I do not blame her papa although it was a shock”  
“why was it a shock?”  
“Briar was right”  
“your maid?”  
“and best friend- she was right”  
“about a conversation we’d had on my seventh birthday” Beatrice smiled fondly “when I was a child, I used to imagine my father was royalty or something similar and that one day I’d be taken away and be the princess of a far off land. On my seventh birthday, 2nd November 1802, I met a man who’s carriage had almost ran me over whilst on the way to a party and he was the nicest man I had ever met. Briar teased me when I got home saying how he could be my papa and I wouldn’t have a clue- she was only pulling my leg until a few days ago when mama passed”  
“that little girl- that was you?”  
“you remember?”  
“I could hardly forget a girl so brave and calm even after being near killed by a carriage- if only I had known you were my daughter then”  
“you can not change the past father”  
“no, you can only look towards the future- and a future with you in it is worth every second of the past missed and I hope we have many years for me to make it up to you”  
“you do not need to make it up to me father, I just hope we can have many more moments like this to spend time together”  
Vincent smiled and placed a kiss to his daughter’s forehead  
“I must go and finish my work before dinner- you should get ready”  
“of course papa”  
Vincent walked towards the door  
“I love you so much my daughter and I’m so happy you are finally here at Edgewater”  
“I love you too papa”  
Vincent left back to his study and Beatrice smiled wondering what the future could bring for her and her father and dreaming of the many more years they’d have together.


	3. A Premature surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1821- Ernest Sinclaire arrives home from Parliament to find that his wife, Beatrice has gone into labour with their first child. Two months early...

Ernest Sinclaire, Master of Ledford park and husband of five years, to the Countess of Edgewater, was exiting parliament, excited to get home and see his wife, and back to normality of the comfort of Edgewater Estate, he was just about to get into the carriage to go home when he heard his name being called.

“Mr Sinclaire!”

he turned around to see Mr Bartholomew Chambers catch up to him,

“I forgot to ask how is Mrs Sinclaire?”

“she’s in good spirits”

“she must be full of excitement with the baby coming along” 

“when I left her a few weeks ago she was feeling a little under the weather and tired from lack of sleep but she suspected it was because she was carrying another person” Ernest nodded “she’s written letters almost every day reassuring me that she’s positive that everything will be just fine when the baby arrives”

“how long until she’s due?” Mr Chambers asked

he’d always been kind about Beatrice always asking after her, they’d become good friends since she first met him at a dinner party Ernest had held himself on the first night of the London season in 1816

“she’s seven months gone so we have a few months to wait until our child makes an appearance”

“hopefully all will be well” Mr Chambers said

“it should be- Beatrice is overall healthy and getting plenty of rest as she should be. I’m glad I’m able to make it home before the day comes” Ernest replied to his friend

“are you not worried about the birth? you know childbirth is dangerous”

“I know more than anyone- but I have every faith in Beatrice that she’ll get through it unharmed- even with her condition” Ernest said confidently and truthfully

“she’s tough even with her blood condition- I’m sure she’ll be alright” chambers agreed “I suppose you want to be getting on the road if you want to make it before evening” he added

“I probably should. I’ll send you a letter to invite you to Edgewater at some time soon”

 The two men nodded at each other to say goodbye and Ernest climbed into his carriage and sits with a leather suitcase. The suitcase carried a small teddy bear he had acquired to gift the baby when it arrived in two months and the book Persuasion by Jane Austen for his wife who had always intended to read the book but never got round to it. Ernest sighed with relief. It was time to go home and see his wife and spend some time together in the peaceful setting of Edgewater estate. 

Ernest stepped out of the carriage half expecting to be greeted by his wife and her grandmother almost immediately but instead he was greeted by no such thing, only a brief silence that ended by shouting when was getting his suitcase out of the carriage.

“Mr Sinclaire!” Mr woods exclaimed rather out of breath as he’d been running

“Mr Woods, why are you out of breath?”

”it’s Lady Beatrice sir- she’s in labour”  Mr Woods spoke

Ernest’s suitcase hits the ground with a thud and he  ran into the house, up the stairs, hearing the cries of pain echoing down the halls along with the voices of Miss Annabelle Parsons and the maid Briar trying to comfort his wife, he raced down the hall Ernest remembered the conversation with Mr Chambers merely hours ago as he did

_“she’s seven months gone we’ve got a few months until our child makes an appearance”_

_“hopefully all will be well”_

_“it should be-she’s healthy and getting plenty of rest as she should be- I’m glad I’m able to make it home before the day comes”_

_“are you not worried about the birth you know childbirth is dangerous”_

_“I know more than anyone- but I have every faith in Beatrice that she’ll get through it unharmed- even with her condition”_

_“she’s tough even with her blood condition- I’m sure she’ll be alright”_

Ernest ran faster reaching their bedroom the quickest he’d ever done, he pushed the door open.

“Beatrice” he exclaimed as he pushed open the door, glancing over the elegant room but quickly focusing onto his brown haired, emerald eyed wife who was sweating and very red in the face and looked beyond exhausted

“Mr Sinclaire, you should not be in here- you need to leave” the doctor in the room, Doctor Wainwright, scolded him, he was the doctor who had treated Beatrice since she was a girl in Glovershire so he knew what he was doing with her

“Ernest- how was your trip to London?” Beatrice ignored the doctor and Ernest noticed she was clearly in a lot of pain ‘of course she’d think of my well being before her own’ he thought

“it was pleasant but it shall have to wait” Ernest replied keeping a straight face despite his fear “are you well?”

“in a lot of pain” she replied

“that’s normal” Dominique, the dowager countess said

 “I think I need to leave the room- childbirth is not a man’s business”

“no Ernest- please, don’t go” Beatrice said her voice shaking

“Beatrice, my child, it’s man’s duty to wait whilst it’s a woman’s to giver birth” Dominque said to her granddaughter

“please?” Beatrice asked the doctor and the midwife

“I think doctor Wainwright, it would be a great comfort to her if Mr Sinclaire was in there for a while” the midwife said to the doctor who paused upon seeing that Beatrice is in much more pain that she should be

he sighed

“he may stay but he’ll have to leave the room before you start pushing” the doctor agreed

Ernest hurried over to his wife’s bed she reached out her hand and he took it squeezing it reassuringly

“this shouldn’t be happening Ernest--it’s too early” she said panicked

“I know- Beatrice I know” he replied as Beatrice squeezed his hand tighter and looked up at him

“are you mad at me?” she asked worry in her eyes

“why would you assume I’d be mad for something beyond your control?” he asked very confused

 “you might assume it is not yours from experience”

“Beatrice- I know it’s my child, you have my undying trust in you and I know you’d never be unfaithful- and whatever rumours there may be- and there is a probable chance there will be rumours I know they are not true- as do all those close to you” He said grasping her hand tighter she cried in pain again before stopping and breathing slightly

“so do we” Briar spoke up speaking to her childhood best friend and step stater in law from the corner of the room where she was holding towels and checking a pot of hot water

“all those who don’t believe the child’s heritage will have us to answer too” Annabelle agreed before getting a glare of disapproval from the Dowager countess.

A quicker wave of pain hit Beatrice before stopping and Beatrice breathed out again shaking with fear even more now as she realised it won’t be long until-

“I’m scared Ernest” Beatrice said pain and fear visible in her voice and with tears in her eyes as she looked at her husband “I don’t want to leave you without a child again and-” she paused “I don’t want to die”

Ernest’s heart broke at his wife’s words, he’d never seen her this scared before and he could do very little to help her except with trying to be of some comfort to her.

“Beatrice, I promise you everything will be fine- you will not die and neither will our child- even if anything happens to either of you, we’ll get through it, together” Ernest said comforting her, brushing a strand of hair from her sweat covered head. she let out a whimper of pain and out of the corner of her eye she sees the doctor nod at the nursemaid

“Lady Beatrice it is time to get this baby out” the nurse told them

“Mr Sinclaire you need to leave the room now” the doctor ordered Ernest nodded

“I’ll see you in a bit- I’ll be waiting outside” he squeezed her hand once more, placing a kiss on her forehead

“I love you Ernest” she said her voice weak

“I love you Beatrice”

Beatrice let go of his hand reluctantly- and Ernest walked out of the room shutting the door as his wife screamed out in pain behind him.

Twenty minutes later and Ernest was waiting with Edmund Marlcaster, Beatrice’s older step-brother and prince Hamid, a prince of the Ottoman empire and a friend of Beatrice’s who had come to stay in England, listening helplessly to the cries of pain from his wife

“she will be fine Mr Sinclaire” Edmund said placing his hand on Ernest’s shoulder

“what if-”

“if this is the same Beatrice who fought her stepmother from ruining her father’s wishes to make her the countess of Edgewater and Duke Richards plot to overthrow the crown of this country, she’ll fight through this” Hamid agreed

And a few seconds later, there was the sudden crying of a a newborn from the room, echoing down the hall, and Ernest let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, he was a father and all seemed well with the baby at least. There was a creak and the door opened, Ernest turned around to face the door as the doctor walked out of the room

“doctor Wainwright- is everything as it should be?” Edmund asked on Ernest’s behalf

“you have a healthy baby boy Mr Sinclaire” Doctor Wainwright said to Ernest

“A-a boy? A son?” Ernest questioned smiling proudly upon hearing those words, not that it mattered whether it was a boy or girl, he would have been happy either way, just as long as it was healthy.

“you may hold him if you wish to do so” Doctor Wainwright said

“I would like that very much, but what about Beatrice?”

He hadn’t mentioned Beatrice in any capacity since the doctor came out  and surely they’d have let him know if anything happened? so why hadn’t they mentioned her wellbeing?

“there were some complications with the birth” the doctor said to the young brown haired man,  Ernest’s heart stopped in panic

“what happened?” Edmund asked on behalf of Ernest as the colour drained from the poor man’s face

“she lost a lot of blood during the final stages of birth due to her Haemophilia” the doctor said

“is she? Has she?” Ernest managed to get only those the words out before stopping he could not complete that sentence, the thought would be too painful.

“she is very weak and in need of rest- however as long as she does not do anything drastic straight away she is expected to make a full recovery” the doctor said “she’s always been a strong willed person ever since I delivered her 25 years ago” he reassured Ernest resting a hand on his shoulder.

Beatrice did not like doctors- and if possible she wanted the same doctor that had treated her throughout her childhood and Ernest was not going to argue with a four month pregnant woman.

“However I believe she’d want you to meet your son whatever state of health she is in”

Ernest nodded followed the doctor into the room and sure enough there was his wife, pale, sweat covered, laying on the bed sleeping peacefully. He sat on the soft bed besides her and kissed her forehead

“I’m proud of you my darling Beatrice” he whispered before the midwife gently handed him a small bundle- his son.

“I believe she’d want her son to be held by someone even if she could not”

the midwife smiled at Ernest  as he looked down at the baby squirming in the cream blanket, fair skin, Beatrice’s nose and his mouth Ernest felt suddenly protective over the small child, the baby squirmed in the blankets

“hello my son” Ernest smiled at the baby boy

“he looks very much like his mother” Annabelle said smiling from where she was sitting keeping Beatrice company “quite rightly so” Ernest said “congratulations he’s the most beautiful baby” Briar said from the corner preparing the cot for the little child she smiled at her best friend’s child despite not technically being a maid anymore since marrying Edmund Marlcaster she had been adamant she help with nursing her newborn step-niece or step-nephew  in anyway possible despite Beatrice and Ernest‘s protesting

 “he’ll grow up into the perfect heir for Edgewater” the dowager countess agrees from besides Annabelle.

“may I have a some time alone with my wife and child?” he asked the women agreed and exit the room.

Ernest turned to his wife knowing that she could still die even if the doctor said she’d be fine, he spoke gently

“we’ve come so far for this my love, do not fail on me now, do not give up and take a turn for the worst. our child would like to meet their mother- they are the most wonderful thing in the world to me well, the second most wonderful after you of course” he says

there’s a whimper from their son “are you tired? you can go to sleep. I’ll be here when you and mama awake”

he smiled at his son and gently moved over to the old cot a few feet away from the bed and puts him down. Ernest sat back onto the bed next to his wife and waited for her to wake. 

Beatrice opened her eyes later that evening, Ernest had barely moved from his wife’s side- the only time he had was to check on their son in his cot and to let Briar in with the bottle of milk for the baby.

 “Ernest?” she asked weakly

“Beatrice” he looked down smiling warmly at her

“is everything well? is the baby alright?” she looked at him panic in her voice as she tried to sit up Ernest supported her

 “don’t move too quickly- there’s nothing to be alarmed over Beatrice, we’ve got a healthy son”

“a boy?” She asked

“a boy” he smiled at her, delight evident in his eyes

“can I hold him?” she asked quietly

Ernest got up and walked over to the cot a few feet away picking the sleeping child ever so gently and climbed back onto the bed, passing him to his wife. she struggled too hold him because of her being so weak from exhaustion and from blood loss so Ernest leaned over and helped his wife hold their son. Beatrice gazed down at the child and Ernest could see the motherly instinct and the love in her eyes for their son- something he saw in his own mothers eyes when he was a boy

“Vincent?” she suggested softly, not even looking at Ernest, her voice barley above a whisper in the quietness of room.

Vincent, after her father, a kind and honourable man, a man he was also very fond of and Ernest knew that Beatrice loved her father so dearly even though the time she had with him was so short- it was the perfect way to honour his memory. 

“Vincent” he smiled in agreement

His wife looked up at him beaming from ear to ear at his agreement to the suggestion and leaned over to kiss him on the mouth it was only for a brief moment and when they broke apart three words left her lips

“I love you” she whispered

Ernest smiled at his wife and child. He was uncertain of the future, of whether his son’s claim as the heir would be doomed due to rumours, of whether there would be any rumours about his wife’s fidelity, of whether he’d have to confront Duke Richards (through a letter to the Tower of London) about unsavoury remarks about the birth of his son in the future but he replied with the one thing he knew for certain as he sat there in the master bedroom one arm around his wife and the other supporting his wife in holding his son. Their first moment as a little family.   

“I love you too. Both of you”


End file.
